


Slow Dance

by odaatlover



Series: WayHaught Week 2020 [3]
Category: Wynonna Earp (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Bisexual Waverly Earp, F/F, Fluff, Homecoming, Wayhaught - Freeform, Wayhaught Week 2020, slow dance, wayhaughtweek2020, whw2020
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-11
Updated: 2020-02-11
Packaged: 2021-02-28 05:29:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,547
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22668565
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/odaatlover/pseuds/odaatlover
Summary: Day 3 - prompt: slow dance
Relationships: Jeremy Chetri & Nicole Haught, Waverly Earp/Nicole Haught
Series: WayHaught Week 2020 [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1628212
Comments: 28
Kudos: 241





	Slow Dance

**Author's Note:**

> You can follow me on [Tumblr](https://odaatlover.tumblr.com/) and [Twitter](https://twitter.com/OdaatloverAO3)!

Nicole sat on the bleachers beside her best friend Jeremy as she observed the cheerleader she’d been crushing on dance with her football player boyfriend. She was hunched over with her elbows resting on top of her knees and her chin in her palms while tapping her worn chucks to the beat of the basic pop song that was playing overhead.

“Why don’t you just ask her to dance with you?” Jeremy questioned as he nudged the redhead in the arm with his elbow.

Nicole sat up with a sigh. “Because I’d rather avoid the humiliation of being rejected in front of the whole school.”

“Okay, well I wouldn’t say the _whole_ school is here.”

“Most of it. All of the popular kids at least, since it’s only them on homecoming court.”

“Since when do you care about the popular kids?”

“Since Waverly Earp became one of them.”

Jeremy shook his head. “You’ve been crushing on her since 7th grade.”

“I know, I know.” Nicole groaned as she hunched back over in the position she had previously been in, only this time her entire face was in her hands.

The smaller boy gave her a sympathetic pat on the back. “At least you look good in a suit.”

“It only matters if Waverly thinks that.”

He glanced over at the petite brunette. “Why her though? There are plenty of other fish in the sea. _Gay_ fish.” He gave her a knowing look, the one he’d always given her whenever she talked about Waverly with that lovesick look on her face.

“She’s special.” Nicole eyed her crush twirling in her gorgeous blue homecoming dress. She was a natural on the dance floor, and Nicole loved watching the brunette move like that, with such grace and coordination — something Nicole herself immensely lacked. It was the main reason she and Jeremy went to all the football games; to watch the brunette cheer. 

...well, that’s the reason Nicole went, anyway. Jeremy went to watch _his_ crush, Robin, running around in his football uniform, but that’s beside the point.

Nicole would do anything for the beautiful cheerleader. Things her meathead boyfriend, _Champ_ , would never do. Like slow dance with her, which was Waverly’s favorite part of going to dances, according to what Nicole had overheard her telling Chrissy Nedley one day in the bathroom. Apparently Champ wasn’t much into the romance stuff, which was something Waverly wished she could change about him. All she wanted was for someone to sweep her off her feet and look at her like she was the only person in the room — again, her words — and that was something Nicole could do. She wanted to do that. And she knew that if she just had the chance, she could show Waverly that she could do so much better than asshat Champ Hardy. No matter how popular he was with the student body.

“Oh! There’s Robin!” Jeremy eagerly sat up as he tugged at the lapels of his tux. 

Nicole looked at the tall blonde boy entering the gym with his girlfriend, Chrissy, and shook her head. “Okay, how come you’re allowed to pine after a straight guy, but I’m not allowed to pine after Waverly?”

“Because Robin isn’t straight,” Jeremy replied with his pointer finger sticking straight up in the air, like he always did when stating a fact.

“And you know this how?”

“Because I have excellent gaydar.”

“And your gaydar says Waverly is straight, huh?”

Jeremy shrugged. “It’s better at detecting gay boys than gay girls, but she definitely seems into boys...”

Nicole dropped the corners of her mouth in a disappointed frown. He was right, despite her wanting so badly for him not to be. But Waverly liking boys was as obvious as Nicole liking girls.

He looked up in thought as he tapped his chin. “But I guess it’s possible that she’s bisexual.”

The redhead quickly perked up at this thought. She didn’t know why she hadn’t even considered the fact that Waverly could like both boys _and_ girls. Maybe it was because bisexuality wasn’t talked about as much, or maybe it was because the only people she knew were either completely straight or completely gay. But either way, she internally chastised herself for not considering the very possible option.

“You’re right. It’s definitely possible.” Nicole smirked as she started planning out how to get Waverly to see that she was a way better option than Champ. It was a plan that she liked to call, _operation slow dance._

———

About an hour had passed by, and Nicole and Jeremy had spent all of it on the dance floor. Jeremy made a few passes at Robin — meaning he smiled and waved at the handsome boy like a kindergartner on the first day of school, and Robin smiled and waved back, which Jeremy took as proof that his gaydar was working just fine.

Nicole had managed to enjoy dancing with her best friend for a little bit, but for the most part she kept an eye on Chaverly...or, Wamp? ...Waverlamp? She couldn’t even find a couple name that sounded at least somewhat decent, which in her mind was an obvious sign that the two weren’t meant to be.

Nicole and Jeremy had taken a break and sat down to rest for a bit as they ate some snacks, when one of Nicole’s classmates walked up to her with a huge smile plastered on her face.

“Hey!” The girl greeted eagerly.

Nicole looked up from her plate. “Hey,” she replied with a mouth full of chex mix. She recognized the girl as Shae Pressman, who sat behind her in math. Nicole had helped the girl with her classwork on more than one occasion, which she didn’t mind. She liked helping people.

Shae leaned over getting closer to Nicole so that she didn’t have to yell over the music. “Nice dance moves out there.”

Nicole laughed as she shook her head. “Don’t lie. I’m atrocious.”

The girl giggled. “Okay, it wasn’t the best I’ve seen, but it wasn’t _that_ bad.”

“I have zero coordination in my feet. I’ve accepted that I’ll never be a great dancer,” Nicole stated with a smile as she looked over at Waverly, who was pulling Champ off the dance floor and over towards the corner of the gym. She eyed them curiously.

“I can show you some moves if you like. I’ve been taking lessons practically my whole life.” Shae looked at Nicole with her mouth turned up in a small smile, but quickly realized that the redhead had her attention on something else.

Nicole furrowed her brow as she watched Waverly arguing with Champ. She couldn’t hear what they were saying, but by the looks of it, it was over something more than just a slow dance.

“That’s okay. Thank you though,” Nicole replied, paying zero attention to the girl standing in front of her.

Shae sighed and shook her head, clearly annoyed that Nicole was treating her like she was invisible as she walked off.

“Are you high?!” Jeremy aggressively whispered. “Shae Pressman just asked you to dance with her, and you rejected her!”

“She wasn’t asking me like _that_ ,” Nicole rolled her eyes.

“Yes she was! She clearly has a crush on you. And she’s _hot_! ...and actually gay!”

Nicole furrowed her brow as she thought back to every exchange they’d ever had. It all made sense now, including Shae asking to borrow her pencil when she clearly had one. “Huh,” Nicole said in surprise before shrugging. “Either way, I’m not interested. I only have eyes for—” 

“Waverly, yeah yeah, I know.” Jeremy sighed in disappointment. Not that he didn’t like Waverly, because she was a sweetheart. Everyone loved her. But he didn’t want his best friend to be heartbroken by someone who wasn’t even available.

“Speaking of which, she’s going into the bathroom. I’ll be right back.” 

She shot up from the bleachers and rushed into the restroom, where she found Waverly hovered over the sink with her palms on the counter, bawling her eyes out. 

When the brunette noticed someone walk in, she quickly wiped her running mascara and tried to compose herself.

“Hey. Are you okay?” Nicole asked nervously. She gritted her teeth at the stupid question. The girl was crying, _of course_ she wasn’t okay.

“Yeah,” Waverly nodded. She didn’t really know Nicole very well. She knew her name, and she’d seen her around as the redhead had caught her eye a few times, but they’d never actually spoken before.

“I saw you fighting with your boyfriend. Did he say something to make you cry?” Nicole knew she was probably overstepping, but she was genuinely concerned.

Trying desperately to hold back the tears, Waverly pursed her lips, but it was no use. They rolled down her cheeks as she began to cry again. “His parents are out of town tonight and he wants me to stay over with him.”

Nicole’s heart sank. The thought of Waverly and Champ alone in his bedroom made her jealous to no end. He didn’t deserve her, and especially not in that way.

“I told him I wasn’t ready for that yet, but he said that we’d been together for six months and that should be plenty of time. And that if I didn’t, he’d break up with me and start dating Stephanie Jones.”

Her blood was boiling now. She balled her fists, wanting so badly to punch his stupid face until she knocked the douchiness right out of him. “You don’t have to do anything you’re not comfortable with, and he’s an asshole for making you feel like you do. And he’s an absolute idiot! You’re _way_ prettier than Stephanie Jones.” She huffed in disbelief with a shake of her head.

A small smile crept onto Waverly’s face. People always called her things like pretty and hot, but for some reason it felt different coming from the redhead. It felt more like she was stating a fact, rather than something said out of jealousy or to get something in return — and the latter was definitely the reason why Champ had always said it.

“I’m sorry he made you feel pressured. Guys are idiots sometimes. Maybe they wouldn’t be if they thought more with their head rather than their—”

“ _Other_ head?”

Nicole looked over at the brunette, who gave her an amused smile, and the two broke out into laughter.

“Exactly,” Nicole replied as their laughter began to die down.

Waverly sighed and turned around to lean against the sink, crossing her thin but toned arms over her chest. “I should’ve broken up with him a long time ago.”

“Do you not like him anymore?” Nicole asked curiously, hoping the answer was yes.

“I never really did if I’m being honest. I just thought I had to since I’m a cheerleader and he’s a football player. And with him being two years older than me and quarterback of the team, I thought I was lucky that he wanted me.” She shook her head and rolled her eyes. “But all he wanted was to get in my pants. I don’t know if that makes _him_ more pathetic, or _me_ for not seeing it until now.”

“Definitely him,” Nicole answered without hesitation.

“He wouldn’t even slow dance with me, which was something I really wanted. I know that sounds so stupid and trivial, but I just wanted to have the kind of homecoming night you see on TV. Where the guy slow dances with the girl and everything around them just goes quiet. And then he tells her how beautiful she is before ending the night with a kiss under the stars.”

Nicole looked at the brunette for a moment before shaking her head. “That’s not stupid. That’s romantic.”

Waverly didn’t know why, but she felt a small flutter in her stomach at the way the redhead was looking at her. She was suddenly realizing how good she looked in a suit; better than any of those boys out there.

With the nerves starting to get the better of her, Nicole’s heart began to race and she looked down for a moment in preparation. This was it. This was her chance to carry out _operation slow dance_. 

“Look, I know I’m not a guy, but if you want, I’d love to slow dance with you.” She held her breath as she awaited a response. She was so nervous, but it was too late to take it back now. It was out there, and all she could do now was prepare for rejection.

Waverly thought about it for a moment. She couldn’t tell if Nicole was just being nice or if she actually liked her. It was no secret that Nicole liked girls, so either reasoning was possible. And surprisingly, she was okay with either one.

“Okay,” Waverly nodded.

Nicole just stood there for a moment in genuine shock. “Wait, really?”

“Well yeah,” Waverly smiled. “Why are you so shocked?” Nicole’s reaction made it pretty obvious that she had a crush on Waverly. And if Waverly was being totally honest with herself, she was crushing a little bit too. 

“Because, you have a boyfriend.” Nicole chuckled lightly as she tucked her medium-length hair behind her ear. She was trying to hide her excitement, but she couldn’t help the grin on her face.

“ _Had_ a boyfriend. I’m breaking up with him, remember?”

“Yeah, I guess you’re right.” Nicole shrugged, still smiling at the shorter girl. She held out a shaky hand for her to take. “Let’s go then.”

Waverly happily took Nicole’s hand, finding it kind of cute that it was a little bit sweaty from how nervous the redhead clearly was, and followed her out of the bathroom and back into the gym. She noticed that Champ was waiting by the door, but ignored him when he started to follow her.

“Look, baby, I’m sorry. We don’t have to go back to my place. I didn’t mean all that stuff. Please, let’s just get back to our night,” he pleaded.

Waverly let go of Nicole’s hand and turned around as she stopped dead in her tracks, causing the boy to stumble a bit as he had to abruptly stop himself from running into her. 

“We’re done, Champ. I’m breaking up with you.”

His eyes widened. He clearly wasn’t expecting that. “Please baby? I love you.”

She shook her head and rolled her eyes. It was clear that he was only saying that so that she’d stay with him. And she knew that if she did that, he’d just keep trying to pressure her. Nothing was going to change, no matter how much he tried to act like it would. 

“I’ll even slow dance with you,” he added, hoping it would convince her.

The way he said it, like it was some sort of agonizing task, made her angry. She grabbed Nicole’s hand — who had just been standing there, awkwardly witnessing the exchange — and confidently said, “No thank you. I’m going to dance with Nicole.”

He looked between the two girls with his brow furrowed in confusion before they walked off into the crowd, leaving him absolutely dumbfounded, which was a sight Nicole would never forget.

As soon as they found a spot on the dance floor, the music changed from a fast song to a slow song, convincing Nicole that the universe was on her side. The girls looked at each other and began to laugh as Waverly wrapped her arms around Nicole’s shoulders, and Nicole placed her hands on Waverly’s waist. 

“It’s okay to touch me, you know.” Waverly said in reference to the fact that Nicole was hesitantly holding her. She twirled Nicole’s hair flirtatiously around her index finger with her arms still around her shoulders, trying to let the redhead know that they were dancing together for real, not just as a favor because her boyfriend wouldn’t.

“Sorry,” Nicole replied sheepishly as she relaxed her grip on Waverly’s hips, letting them fully come into contact. 

To say that Nicole was nervous was an understatement. She had been crushing on this girl for two years, and here she was, the closest she had ever been to her. She noticed details on her face that she’d never seen before, and she smelled way better than Nicole had ever imagined. She was clearly wearing perfume, but Nicole could also smell Waverly’s natural scent, especially when the girl breathed out her nose. It was intoxicating.

Waverly looked into Nicole’s eyes as Nicole looked back into hers. “What are you thinking?” Waverly asked.

After inhaling through her nose, Nicole let out a sigh with a shake of her head in disbelief. “That I’ve been dreaming of this for two years. And I’m kind of expecting to wake up any minute now.” She let out a small, breathy laugh.

Waverly shook her head and smiled. “I didn’t know you liked me.”

Nicole’s face immediately turned red. It wasn’t a secret anymore. Waverly knew about her crush, and she now held all the cards, which terrified Nicole. “But you’re not gay, so it doesn’t really matter anyways, right?” Part of her said that because she truly believed it, but the other part of her had said it in hopes that Waverly would deny it.

The brunette shrugged as she looked over Nicole’s shoulder in thought. “I’ve never really cared too much about labels, but if there was a girl who was really nice, and really cute, and comforted me in the bathroom while I cried about my jerk of a boyfriend before asking me to dance with her...” she looked up into hopeful brown eyes and smiled as she wrapped her arms around Nicole just a little bit tighter. “I wouldn’t be opposed to the idea.”

Nicole couldn’t hold back her eager smile at those words, and when Waverly rested her face against her chest, she closed her eyes and relaxed her cheek on the top of the brunette’s head, holding her closely against her and never wanting to let her go. It was as if they were the only two people in the room, and nobody else existed.

They only had half an hour left before the dance was over, but Nicole was happy with the few dances she was able to get in with the girl. She felt bad about ditching Jeremy, but when she saw him hanging out with his friends from the AV club, she felt better.

“My sister is here,” Waverly said reluctantly as they sat on the floor in the hallway, holding hands and leaning against each other. 

Nicole placed her feet flat on the floor and pushed herself up before reaching down to help Waverly up. As they walked down the hallway towards the door, they exchanged phone numbers and hugged each other goodbye. When they pulled back, they looked into each other’s eyes for a moment, and Nicole debated whether or not to kiss her. She wanted to so badly, but her stomach was in knots, keeping her frozen in her place and preventing her from making the move.

The moment had passed, and Waverly waved her goodbye before walking out the door.

Nicole sighed in disappointment as she looked down at her shoes, shaking her head. She thought back to their conversation in the bathroom and remembered what Waverly had said. She couldn’t let her down. She wanted to give the brunette the homecoming she wanted, even if it meant being brave enough to take the chance. She quickly rushed out the door and chased down the cheerleader.

“Hey wait!” Nicole waved the brunette down as she ran after her. “You forgot something!”

“What?” Waverly asked in confusion.

When she finally reached her, Nicole looked down at the girl’s lips and let out a heavy breath before quickly leaning in and giving her a small peck. She pulled back and nervously rubbed her arm that was resting straight down by her side. “It’s not complete without a kiss under the stars, right?” She chuckled, hoping that she didn’t come off as a total dork.

Waverly beamed before pulling the redhead back in and giving her a proper kiss. Their lips stayed pressed against one another’s for a couple of seconds, before Nicole deepened the kiss. She wrapped her arms around Waverly, and Waverly rubbed her thumbs against Nicole’s cheeks that she was holding onto. 

Nicole wanted it to last forever, but sadly Waverly began to pull back, and suddenly she was gone. She opened her eyes when she felt soft, small hands sliding into her own, and everything felt right again with the brunette touching her.

“I have to go, but we can video chat tomorrow?” Waverly asked, hoping Nicole would say yes.

“Sounds good to me!” Nicole grinned.

“Good night, Nicole.”

“Good night, Waverly.” The giddy redhead held up a still hand, gesturing goodbye as she left.

As Waverly climbed in the truck, she held up her dress so that it wouldn't get messed up before shutting the door and putting her seatbelt on.

“What happened to your boyfriend?” Wynonna asked with a raised eyebrow.

Waverly looked out the window at Nicole, who was still grinning from ear to ear, and smiled. “I found someone better.”


End file.
